The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-11-13

that his days outing had undni
excited him-and had somehow fallei
INTO the river, 1t was considerabl
Tune, however, before the discovery of tn
body put the old mans fate beyond cues
tlon. During the interval Ephrain
Stuckey was more than once summoned Il
different points between Kew ridge an,
| Gravesend, for the purpose of inspectin
the CHASTITY human floatsam and ieisam O
the river, but without result. Four week
had nearly elapsed when he received in
FORMATION that the body OF an elderly MAJ
had peeh found at Deptiord, the linen o
Wlnch appeared TO have been marked will
an -. The features were all but unrec
oghlHaDle, but after such inspection us wa
possible Ephraim, without hesitation, pro
nounced the remains TO be those OF hi
father.
The inquest which followed and which
was, OF course, held at Deptiord addec
only one additional fact to those aboy,
stated. The medical evidence showed
That there was a severe confusion on the
head, which had probably been caused
before death, and the doctor was strongly
OF the opinion that the deceased had been
stunned by this blow and then thrown
INTO the river. There was nothing how.
ever, TO point TO definite conclusion, and
after hearing the evidence OF the Rev. Al.
tred Stuckey and his brother rs to the
mental condition OF the deceased, the Jury
returned verdict of found drowned .
certificate OF this verdict, together with
other documents relating to the death, was
subsequently lodged by the Rev. Alfred
Stuckey, as administrator OF the deceased,
with the Monument assurance company,
IN whose office the insurance on Martin
Stuckey's life had been effected.
About week after this was done Mr.
Cappcr, the manager of the monument as
surancc company, was shown into the
Office OF Mr.. George George, the company's
solicitor
"Well, " he said, "any result from the
inquiries in Stuckey's case?
YES, little" replied Mr. George.
but am afraid nothing that is much use
TO us at present
at is not a case OF suicide?"
Judge for yourself. You remember
that at the inquest the Rev. Alfred
Stuckey stated that he returned with his
father from Richmond about 3 o'clock
and left quarter If nm hour later in order
10 catch the 5;3j O'Clock Metropolitan
train 10 King -cross?"
81 do"
Very well. Now | have ascertaincd
that Mr.. Alfred and the deceased took a
carriage at Richmond not long before /
o clock p. M, but we're only driven rs for
as Barnes, where. ut their own request.
they were put down on the tow path.
have found the Lyman, who SAYS that he
set them down on the tow path nearly Oh.
posltc Chswick about 1870 o'clock, and
saw them walk away eastward We have
also got hold oi an old woman who saw
them on the tow path near llammCrsmith
bridge; but whether below or above she
cannot state, walking in the direction of
I'utncy She says il was within a lew min
utcs OF D O'Clock, and Just gciiin. dusk.
On that day, October Is, the sun. YOU will
find, set at 49, O'Clock Now, 4 is not
impossible, Of course. that Alfred Sturkcy
may have been on the tow path walking
toward Puincy about o'clock. and vel
have UltrrW1rd caught the l35 o'clock
tram; but 10 my mind This cyiicuc"
throws grave doubt on his story. Re
We have only Alfred S,uckcy's
word for IL that the deceased ever went
home ut all. ou the other hand, there &,
q strong presumption that some time after
; o'clock that night lac found bis way into
The river having been. according to the
medical testimony. knocked on "a, head
Iiri, presumably by some one who had
motive for doing 50, which stranger Ia
him would not have
you think he was murdcrcd?"
81 form no theory 80 present; but
link that Msssi~. Alfred and Ephrlim
,tucicy between them know more ub1u,
their fathers disappearance than they
have yet disclosed, aud that the evidence
we now have oilers very cuny,nicn,
means of squeezing the truth out Of
them"
. Then what do you adviser"
Put all our information in the hands ui
HE police We shalt never prove suicide.
md II Il hp q ease ui murder, thai doe. not
help the office. !, l.. therefore. not worth
lac company while Ia spend money un
urther inquiries. On the other hand, II
here be any fraud IN the ease, thc truth
sill very soon come cut when one or The
lthcr ol these gentlemen is arrested ON q
charge Of murder, which expect We shall
zee before another week is over
IN this last conjecture Mr.. Gcprgr
icorgc WIS not mistaken he very seldom
Aas about such matters Within ipur Ur
i've days from the time Nhcn hp iurW rlri
his information Ia Scotland Gari. tu"
Rev. Aliyl Sluckcy WIS 10 custody.
'harg'd with numbering his father.
When he appeared before the magislralc
lac facts detailed hy Nh George were sup.
,lcmcn;cd hy piece Of evidence Of the
most damaging character 4 tramp.
named llig.s, was called, and be- dcpu,td
- having seen the deceased, whom be-
Knew we'll 10y sight. ia company with an.
ithCr man on the tow path between Ham.
aud Putucy some time after
lark; 20 having overheard something like
IN alteration, the old man apparently p-
using 20 90 on. and the young one threat.
ming 10 chuck him into tie river II lee
were troublesome; aud, finally, 81 having
icarl loud cries after he had passed
lliggs did not attempt a. identify the prIs
lncr but be- was SURE tlilt the man with
lac deceased WIS W. black cloak. and
,lotcly repmhlcd the prisoner IN high,
and figure. With regard 10 the time lee
was uncertain, but IL was clear from his
that u must have been within
I've minutes on Cithcrsidc Oi q quarter a. q
o'clock This left time, ~ thc prosecution
showed. for the prisoner 10 catch train Of
puinry bridge, by which hc could have
reached II. paucrhs so ~ 10 travel 10y the
1:lO down train from that station. On
his evidence the magistrate without hcsi.
lation committed the prisoner for trial.
Only one other piece 81 evidence was ad.
iuccd when the trial came of at Old lai.
lev, but Il had un important bearing on
the issue. IL appeared that when hc had
lcit the university four or five years pre-.
yiously, the prisoner was very much In
debt, that he had lately been threatened
with summary proceedings by some oi his
Oxford creditors and that on the day uf